coco_canuck wrote:Now like I said, I'm not sold on Arnott, but bringing someone like him in on a reasonable 1 year deal adds expendable, veteran depth.

...Sturm was last years Arnott, and he made the team...this year if Arnott is signed he will be in the starting line-up at the 3rd line centre position come game 1 and the year after that it will be another raggedy old hasbeen veteren and the year after that, so on and so on. It's the way Gillis and AV roll.

Trust me, no kid is getting past Arnott, Ebbett, Malhotra and Raymond this year. The only spot available is that 12th forward position on the 4th line held by Weise, but that fight is between Volpatti, Pinnizotto(sp?), Desbiens and Weise. I will bet you my bottom dollar that Jensen will be in Sweden and Schroeder in Chicago come the 1st game of the NHL, that is if Kesler isn't back. Kassian my find a spot on the 4th line if Malhotra keeps declining.

"I just want to say one word to you. Just one word. Are you listening? - Plastics." - The Graduate

RoyalDude wrote:...Sturm was last years Arnott, and he made the team...this year if Arnott is signed he will be in the starting line-up at the 3rd line centre position come game 1 and the year after that it will be another raggedy old hasbeen veteren and the year after that, so on and so on. It's the way Gillis and AV roll.

IF Gillis signs Arnott, which is a big IF, he could be the 3rd line C, if he's good enough.

Like I said, Sturm was shipped out quickly, and if Arnott, or someone like him, perform like Sturm, they will be shipped out too.

RoyalDude wrote:Trust me, no kid is getting past Arnott, Ebbett, Malhotra and Raymond this year. The only spot available is that 12th forward position on the 4th line held by Weise, but that fight is between Volpatti, Pinnizotto(sp?), Desbiens and Weise. I will bet you my bottom dollar that Jensen will be in Sweden and Schroeder in Chicago come the 1st game of the NHL, that is if Kesler isn't back. Kassian my find a spot on the 4th line if Malhotra keeps declining.

So Kassian only makes it if Malhotra declines?

Kassian will be on the team unless he plays like absolute shit in camp.

I really don't see Ebbett or Raymond being guaranteed anything this year. If Raymond does well, he'll make the team.

Ebbett would make it only if a young player falters or if he can somehow grab the 13th forward spot. They know what they have in Ebbett, and he's just a depth forward.

If Schroeder outperforms Ebbett, there's no reason why he wouldn't make it over Ebbett.

As for Weise, Volpatti, and Pinner, one or none could make the team.

I see a lot of flexibility with the roster with Kesler out. Even if Weise and Raymond make the team, the roster can easily look like this:

He wasn't fired until two years later, so that's exactly what I think happened. I guess I'm just more cynical than you.

RoyalDude wrote:...Sturm was last years Arnott, and he made the team...this year if Arnott is signed he will be in the starting line-up at the 3rd line centre position come game 1 and the year after that it will be another raggedy old hasbeen veteren and the year after that, so on and so on. It's the way Gillis and AV roll.

...and it took a month for Sturm to be shipped out....of course I realize that you hate David Booth with a fiery passion from the depths of hell, but in that instance MG was subscribing to your theory of bringing in younger, fresher legs. Same with "raggedy old hasbeen veteren" Peter Schaefer, who ended up losing his job to Oreskovich/Tambellini.

Trust me, no kid is getting past Arnott, Ebbett, Malhotra and Raymond this year. The only spot available is that 12th forward position on the 4th line held by Weise, but that fight is between Volpatti, Pinnizotto(sp?), Desbiens and Weise. I will bet you my bottom dollar that Jensen will be in Sweden and Schroeder in Chicago come the 1st game of the NHL, that is if Kesler isn't back. Kassian my find a spot on the 4th line if Malhotra keeps declining.

Yes, Malhotra and Raymond are going to break camp as starters, but I have faith that AV feels like any emotional "debt" to them was paid last year. They were given lots of opportunity to rediscover their game and produced mediocre results. This season I don't think the coaching staff will be afraid to look for other options if they continue to struggle.

Which once again indicates to me that Arnott (and the other vets), wouldn't be as much of a roadblock for young players as you seem to think. As long as Aquilini and the cap situation allow for it, I can't see any way that bringing him in to see what's left in the tank is a bad scenario.

CaptainTrev wrote:Yes, Malhotra and Raymond are going to break camp as starters, but I have faith that AV feels like any emotional "debt" to them was paid last year. They were given lots of opportunity to rediscover their game and produced mediocre results. This season I don't think the coaching staff will be afraid to look for other options if they continue to struggle.

coco_canuck wrote:I really don't see Ebbett or Raymond being guaranteed anything this year. If Raymond does well, he'll make the team.

Ebbett would make it only if a young player falters or if he can somehow grab the 13th forward spot. They know what they have in Ebbett, and he's just a depth forward.

If Schroeder outperforms Ebbett, there's no reason why he wouldn't make it over Ebbett.

So you think there's a chance that Raymond would be sent down/put on waivers outside of Raymond playing like an ECHL-calibre player? Gillis tried to trade Raymond last year and couldn't. Unless there's a team willing to trade for Raymond, Raymond will be a Vancouver Canuck to start the season. No one is beating out Raymond for a roster spot.

I agree with you on Ebbett. The team needs 2nd line centre options and if Schroeder clearly beat out Ebbett, I think Schroeder will make the team over Ebbett. Interestingly, Ebbett now has a 2-way contract with an AHL salary of $300K, which subjects him to recall waivers. I wonder how much we should read into this.